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P, S, T S: Rimary Econdary AND Ertiary Ources

This document defines and provides examples of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. Primary sources are original materials from the time period being studied that have not been interpreted by others. Secondary sources are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources written after the fact. Tertiary sources consist of information that collects and distills primary and secondary sources, such as encyclopedias and indexes. The types of sources vary depending on the subject discipline and how the materials are being used.

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30 views2 pages

P, S, T S: Rimary Econdary AND Ertiary Ources

This document defines and provides examples of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. Primary sources are original materials from the time period being studied that have not been interpreted by others. Secondary sources are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources written after the fact. Tertiary sources consist of information that collects and distills primary and secondary sources, such as encyclopedias and indexes. The types of sources vary depending on the subject discipline and how the materials are being used.

Uploaded by

Jose Antonio Linero
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND TERTIARY SOURCES

As you conduct research, you will consult different sources of information. You will encounter
primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. What do these terms mean? This guide explains them and
gives examples for each.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The types of information that can be considered primary sources may
vary depending on the subject discipline, and also on how you are using the material.
For example:
o A government study about steroid use in college sports would be a primary
source.
o A magazine article reporting on a government study about steroid use in college
sports would be a secondary source.
o However, if you were researching how use of steroids is portrayed in the
popular media, the magazine article could be considered a primary source.

PRIMARY SOURCES
Primary sources are original materials. They are from the time period involved and have not been
filtered through interpretation or evaluation. Primary sources are original materials on which other
research is based. They are usually the first formal appearance of results in physical, print or electronic
format. They present original thinking, report a discovery, or share new information.

Note: The definition of a primary source may vary depending upon the discipline or context.

• Artifacts (e.g. coins, plant specimens, fossils, furniture, tools, clothing, all from the time under
study)
• Audio recordings (e.g. radio or internet broadcasts)
• Diaries, Journals, Notes, Autobiographies & Memoirs
• Internet Communications (e.g. email, chat transcripts)
• Interviews (e.g., oral histories, telephone, e-mail);
• Journal articles describing original research or containing original analysis
• Letters, Postcards, & other forms of correspondence
• Newspaper and Magazine articles with eyewitness accounts, original reporting or analysis
• Original Documents (i.e. birth certificates, wills, marriage licenses, trial transcripts)
• Photographs
• Records of organizations, government agencies, and businesses (e.g. corporate reports, treaties,
constitutions, census data, government documents)
• Speeches
• Survey Results and Analysis (e.g., market surveys, public opinion polls)
• User Manuals
• Video recordings (e.g. television or internet broadcasts)
• Works of art, architecture, literature, film, and music (e.g., paintings, sculptures, musical scores,
movies, buildings, novels, poems)
SECONDARY SOURCES
Secondary sources are less easily defined than primary sources. Generally, they are accounts written
after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. They are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources.
Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence. However,
what some define as a secondary source, others define as a tertiary source. Context is everything.

Note: The definition of a secondary source may vary depending upon the discipline or context.

• Biographical works
• Commentaries, criticisms
• Histories
• Magazine and newspaper articles (except eyewitness accounts, original reporting or analysis)
• Books, other than fiction and autobiography

TERTIARY SOURCES
Tertiary sources consist of information that is a distillation and collection of primary and secondary
sources.

• Almanacs or Fact Books


• Chronologies or Timelines
• Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
• Directories
• Databases, Indexes, Abstracts, Bibliographies used to locate primary and secondary sources
• Textbooks

COMPARISON ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES


SUBJECT PRIMARY SECONDARY TERTIARY
Art and Architecture Painting by Manet Article critiquing Manet Encyclopedia article
painting about “Manet”
Physical Sciences Einstein's diary Biography of Einstein Dictionary entry on
“Theory of Relativity”
Chemistry/Life Sciences Journal article Magazine article explaining Summary of magazine
describing original journal article article in online
research database
Humanities Letters by Martin Web site on King's writings Encyclopedia on
Luther King “Civil Rights
Movement”
Social Sciences Notes taken by Magazine article about the Textbook on clinical
clinical psychologist psychological condition psychology
Performing Arts Movie filmed in 1942 Review of the movie IMDB entry on the
movie

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